Small businesses make hay as shoppers gear to celebrate Eid

Muscat Daily staff writer

May 15, 2019

Muscat -

With the first week of Ramadan over, business in the city is gathering momentum in view of the upcoming Eid celebration.

Tailor shops and beauty salons have become a hive of activity with people busy shopping for trendy dresses and thronging henna artists to get new patterns. This is the time most people get new dishdashas and designer abayas stitched too.

Nizam Qureshi, a barber from India who has shops in Ruwi and CBD said, “A lot of men come for grooming during this period. Though our shops remain crowded during Eid days, there are many young people who come every week during Ramadan for grooming. While some want henna applied on hair, most people get shaving and facial massage done.”

This is also a busy time for henna artists. Hamida, a henna artist in Muttrah said, “Henna application is an important part of Eid. I normally apply henna for customers every weekend but during Eid I get more customers. I also have to get some extra hands to meet the surge in demand. Normally, I charge RO5 for applying henna on one hand but for Eid the rate is more. People have already started booking for Eid.”

Clothing and tailoring shops in Muttrah and Ruwi have already started work on Eid dresses. Some tailors say they are too full to take any new orders till Eid.

“Right now we are not accepting any new orders because we are overloaded with work. Our stitching rates for dresses start from RO20 depending on size and texture,” said Sammer al Obaidani.

A popular tailoring shop for dishdashas, the Ibn Naamani store in Muscat, said it has been busy right from the start of Ramadan. “People are purchasing readymade clothes to avoid last-minute rush,” said an employee at the store. In addition to clothings and salons, shops selling gift items too are busy now.

Abdulla Balushi, a dates and dry fruits seller said business is always good during this time. “We get many orders before Eid. There are families, both Omanis and expatriates, who have placed orders for items weeks before Eid.”

Meat shops in supermarkets also work till midnight to cater to the increased demand. Abid, who runs a chain of meat shops in the country said, “Our sales have more than doubled already. They will increase with each passing day. I cannot close my shop till late night as customers keep pouring in. For Eid we get more supply from India and increase the frequency of delivery.”